Meet a Reader | Mbmom11, in the Midwest
Know what's funny? In a previous Meet a Reader post, we met MB in MN. Which is pretty similar to MB in the Midwest!
This midwestern reader has 11 children, though, which is why she comments under Mbmom11. 🙂
Here's MB:
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in the Midwest with my family. I have 11 kids, ages 9-29, and two cats.
I've been teaching part time for over 25 years. I teach because I love my subject and it gets me out of the house.
I like to bake and read, and I spend time chauffeuring kids to activities and games. I volunteer at my kids' school at lunch time and other events.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I found you through your post, "Soap Is Cheap, in Sept 2021. A blogger I follow (This Aint The Lyceum) had linked to it in a newsletter, and I found the title intriguing.
I loved the article, so I started hitting up your archives. This was a time I had been thinking about not teaching anymore and staying home, so I was looking for new ideas to be thrifty.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I think I've always liked to save money.
Growing up in a large family, we had enough, but with the specter of inflation and bad job market (gotta love the 70's and 80's) , there was definitely a feeling of needing to make sure you had a cushion. My parents were good at guiding careful spending habits without it being a burden.
4. What’s the “why” behind your money-saving efforts?
Why do I want to save money?
I want my family to have what they need and be comfortable. I would like to retire and not have to worry about every last penny, and to be able to travel a little and treat my kids.
One of my children has special needs, and we need to look to their future and make sure the kiddo has resources to draw on to be comfortable.
5. What’s your best frugal win?
My best frugal win is marrying my husband. He is so talented at DIY. Home repairs, construction, electrical, auto repair, technology - he'll try anything after suitable research of YouTube and other resources.
I should have known he was special as he asked for a set of "Time-Life" home repair books when he was in college. He is also thrifty and is much better at budgeting than I.
A more typical thing we did was to get a mortgage with a low interest rate, refinance when it made sense, and pay extra on the principle from the start. It has cut many years off our mortgage.
6. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
I have made many money mistakes over the years - when I was single, I bought so many clothes and books!
However, recently, I bought a specific headset for my special needs kid - it was to help with speech therapy. Highly rated, easy to use, and it sits gathering dust.
Child did not like it, so we don't use it.
I also spend too much money on clothes for this kid (not like designer, just Old Navy type!) because I want my kid to look nice and getting clothes that fit can be hard. But then I look in the drawers and realize I just bought 12 pairs of pants when only 5 would do.
I also hate mending - which is not frugal at all.
7. What’s one thing you splurge on?
It's not a big splurge, but I take my kids at home out to McDonald's for lunch once a week. (I've been doing it for 28 years now?) we started doing it after a family activity on my days off, and I've kept to it even when times were very tight.
We rarely go out to eat or do anything, so it's a nice treat, a special time together, and a way to socialize them about eating at restaurants. I do blow money on other things, but nothing consistently.
8. What’s one thing you aren’t remotely tempted to splurge on?
I am not tempted to splurge on jewelry, make-up, or manicures. Teenager me would be very disappointed about the lack of glitz and glamor in my life!
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
If I had $1000 dropped in my lap, my first question would it count as income? I have to be careful not to earn to much as we need to maintain certain limits to qualify for college grants and funding. So if it's income, I would turn it down.
If I could spend it without strings, I might just donate it to a food pantry. I have what I need right now.
I think for my flight of fancy, I would need a lot more than $1000. 😉
10. What's the hardest/easiest part of being frugal?
The hard part of being frugal is waiting - when you're trying to do things yourself, you need time, energy, and money to align.
Also, trying to decide if this is something would be better to hire out? Special tools and equipment can be expensive.
(I did convince my husband he didn't need to redo the roof - hiring someone who had the manpower, equipment, and experience made more sense. He got his roofing urges out when he build our garage last year though!)
I'm not sure if being frugal is easy for me, just habit.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
In my area, housing is cheap. My home would easily be 5-6 times more expensive on the East Coast.
12. What's a frugal tip you've tried and abandoned?
I have tried homemade laundry detergent and abandoned it - time consuming and it didn't work well in my machine. We have very hard water here.
No more coupons either - I used them a lot when my older kids were young, but they certainly aren't as prevalent.
I don't make homemade hummus anymore either - we don't have enough people eating it now, so it just goes to waste.
13. What single thing has saved you the most money over time?
The single thing that saved me a lot of money over time was not having any student loans for college. I earned a variety of scholarships, and I joke that I made a profit in going to school - the extra scholarship money paid for books, a printer, and other expenses so I didn't have to spend my own money.
Once I was out of college, without debt, I had the freedom to make choices about what I would do and where I would work. That is priceless.
14. Share a frugal tip with other Frugal Girl readers.
A frugal tip is to think small. We have a big family, but we live in a small house - we use bunk beds and make do.
It's much cheaper to stay in place than to move to a bigger home with more expenses, higher taxes, etc.
Offer smaller servings - people can always come back for more, but then there is less waste. Even something as cutting up stew meat into smaller chunks can make a meal go farther - the flavor the same, but it can be divided up more easily.
My kids would also rather have 3 small cookies over a single big cookie (worth 4-6 cookies) - it feels like more!
__________
MB, I love your cats! They are both so cute; I wanted to reach through the screen and pet them.
You said you'd need more than $1000 for your flight of fancy, so now I wanna hear more about your dream. Do tell.
Two of your answers echo other FG readers; lots of frugal readers here aren't tempted by glitz and glamour, AND quite a few readers said their best frugal win was marrying their husbands (that always makes me smile.)
You've fed a LOT of mouths for a lot of years; in addition to your "think small" advice, do you have any other tips to share with us? I imagine you've learned a lot from feeding a small army!
Hi,
I have no tips for feeding a crowd. I'm a boring cook, and eat a lot of the same meals over and over. I tend to stick with what a lot of kids in the house will eat. Reading the Frugal Girl has inspired me to be better about planning to use leftovers or cooking extra for the freezer. Thanks for having me!
@mbmom11, Same here---we have the same meals about every week, because it's what everyone (mostly) agrees on. On my birthday or Mother's Day, I might splash out and make something like chicken shwarma, but mostly we're boring and eat the same stuff.
And I agree with you on "thinking small"--when we decided to not own homes anymore, and rent, it saved us so much, and recently we moved to a house that most people would think is too small for six people, but we have made it work very nicely and love it.
Thank you for sharing your interview. Your gray cat reminds me of one of my grandkitties, always interested in what is going on.
Your Bald Cypress is lovely. There is one in our neighborhood that we love looking at.
I love your ability to parent eleven kids and be so serene. We too have "boring" meals at our house but we're okay with that.
@K D,
The gray one is always curious and into everything! He's also soft and plush and the weight if a toddler- a lovely chonk to hold.
I don't think serene is a good description for me, though I appreciate the compliment! I'm like a duck swimming- calm on the surface and frantically paddling underneath.
Your gray one reminds me of how Chiquita approaches life. lol
And he DOES look so soft...I wanted to reach through my screen and pet him.
@mbmom11, nice to meet you! I like your duck analogy, lol!
Nice to meet you! I am drawn to your time, energy, and money aligning comment. I am still thinking about it. I think maybe I've struggled with this over the years because I have one or two of these things...but not the other. And then when all 3 align, I sometimes no longer have the desire to accomplish whatever the desire was originally.
@Jody S.,
I came her to make a similar comment. I loved the quote, "The hard part of being frugal is waiting – when you’re trying to do things yourself, you need time, energy, and money to align." I am often not patient enough to make the more frugal choice.
It’s nice to meet you, MB. You must be extremely organized to embrace frugality while raising 11 children. Do you use a planning system or a special calendar? Have you developed your own?
@Bee,
I've tried lots of ways to organize, and the only thing that sticks is the whiteboard in the kitchen. Google calendar helps, but I spend time on Saturday looking ahead on paper calendars, Google, random sticky notes I've jotted on, and put the next week's life on the whiteboard.
I see people's beautiful planners and wish I could manage something like that!
@Bee, I was just thinking the same thing: To keep such a large family organized (especially in a small house), MB must have an awesome set of executive skills!
And, MB, I too like your gray cat. His coloring reminds me of my late beloved Disraeli Diehard Dreadnought--and Dizzy had a similarly intrepid nature, as his name suggests!
It's always fun to meet a fellow Midwestern! Thank for sharing with us!
I have questions for you about bunk beds... I'd also like to stay in our not-overly-large house for a long time, which means that my oldest and youngest share a room and will be sharing for years to come. My youngest is 5 and still in a toddler bed, but we know that she's going to outgrow it very soon! Bunk beds make the most sense for the size of the room, but I've got mixed feelings about it (partially because the two twin beds in our house - currently used by child #1 and child #2 - were built by my father-in-law when my husband was little). Do your kids on the top bunks manage to make their bed consistently? It seems like it would be harder to do for the top bunk. Are there any pros and cons that aren't obvious, but you've seen through living it? Anything you'd recommend about what type of bunk bed? (One with shelves? Any other special features?) I appreciate any wisdom you can pass on!
@Ruth T,
The kids have managed the top bunk pretty well from 5 yrs on- the ones who prefer it enjoy their nests. It can be hard to make- my husband even made small comforters once because the standard size ones are just too big and awkward. My one child simplified things by putting his sleeping bag on the bottom sheet. We don't fuss too much about the making beds. My kids have all whittled it down to a flat sheet, a quilt or comforter, and a pillow. A quick shake in the morning and they're good. If you prefer a nicer look, it takes a little time.
A practical tip: never let someone with exposure to a stomach virus sleep on the top.
I actually like a simple bunk bed. We have two with under the bed storage , which makes them heavy and hard to move. I don't know if the trade off for more storage was worth it.
I was the top bunk for many years over my sister. I used to fall out regularly. No matter what safety measures my parents put in place--including a wooden thing was screwed to the bedframe. I remember waking midair with the wood breaking.
@Rose,
My sons have fallen out on occasion, and they usually don't even notice!
@mbmom11, Ha!
We had bunks when I was a college freshman. My parents said I should choose the bottom bunk (my roommate was delayed) because no one would want to listen to the top bunk shuddering under my great weight. 170 pounds! But I'm six feet tall. I thought the top bunk was superior and disliked the bottom. Later, I found out my roommate thought I was a little rude for choosing the bottom bunk.
However, I soon met BFF and we campaigned to get to be roommates, and we were so annoying about it they gave us the largest and best suite on campus.
@Rose,
I remember a holiday abroad with our then 7 year old falling out a bunk bed, breaking a joint. We spent a few nights in hospital because surgery was needed. Fortunately we spoke English. (o yes and our cellphone had no coverage so we had to wake the neighbours) to get an ambulance)
Always always have the rail fitted in place, and checked.
(Fortunately the bone mended well and all they was left was an interesting scar. No complaints on NHS from us)
MB, nice to meet you! How many of your 11 are living at home presently? I admire your organizational skills!
@J NL,
I have 4 at home full time now, with 3 in college and 4 out of the nest. Thanks for the compliment! I don't really have the best organizational skills - I just persist and pick up the pieces as I go.
@Rose, OOh, I did that in college--fell out of my lofted bed and woke up while falling flat onto the concrete floor (fractured three vertebrae). I have no idea why my parents thought a lofted bed was good for me; even in a regular bed, I fell out of bed as a child nearly every night!
@Rose, the results of your persistence made me laugh!
Thanks! I wouldn't have thought about how heavy they are to move, but that's important to consider. And your practical tip definitely sounds like the voice of experience. 😉 Wise, wise advice! I appreciate your response and everyone else who chimed in with bunk bed advice and stories!
@Ruth T, my 3 boys shared a room for years so a bunk bed was a must. We had one bunk and one standard twin. To keep things fair I rotated who got the single every 9 months or so. If only one wanted the top bunk he got it. Otherwise we just kept rotating. And yes to sleeping bags for easy bed making! When my oldest finally got his own space and took the single bed I simply cut the posts on the bunk bed and had two twin beds! Lots of bunk beds on Facebook Marketplace too.
Hi Mbmom11! I was so happy to see this particular Meet a Reader and learn more about one of my own most consistent and pleasant readers! I smiled that your husband does everything but roofing, because my husband would rather fix a roof (and has done many times) than fix anything inside the house. 🙂
Based on your weekly menu report, I think you do have a good tip about feeding a big family: baking isn't just for treats, it's for the extra calories kids need. For people without a lot of rapidly growing kids, it might seem excessive to bake every week. But I've started baking cookies and granola every week because my kids are too skinny and just need to eat more than they do at meals. You bake a lot more than I do, but you also have a lot more kids. And if you're not going to be buying snacks at the store, the snacks have to be made. I came to this realization on my own, but your comments on your menu reinforced that for me, so thanks!
@kristin @ going country,
To be honest, I have a sweet tooth, so the baking isn't just altruistic! However my current teen boys are on the slim side, so I make many treats and let them snack to their hearts' content. Getting them to eat meat is the challenge.
Hi mbmom11! Your comment about weekly lunches at McD's made me smile. Once a year only, my mother took us kids out for fast food, to reward us for doing well in school, and how we looked forward to it! We never ate out at any other time.
My mom always made delicious food, though, and always spent a lot on it. When you're a child, there's nothing like walking home from school on a cold day and entering the house to the smell of a roast beef or baking cookies. Once on a snowy afternoon, I got home from junior high and she was frying donuts. We're all tall and big eaters, so everything was demolished as if hit by a plague of locusts or a pack of wild dogs, depending on what metaphor Mom chose to employ. She even did things like make her own chocolate and mold it for Easter, etc.
Anyway, great to learn more about you! I was also interested in the prairie fire--they used to light the scrub on the dunes here to keep down the weeds, but we're too populated for that, so they're supposedly bringing in goats next year.
Nice to meet you! I can't imagine managing 11 kids, but I know many people have done it - one of my friends had a grandmother who was one of 21. Just the thought of having 21 kids makes me hyperventilate.
It sounds like you have the system down for managing with a lot of kids. Do you ever think ahead about how you will manage with only one or two left at home?
It's funny that you included the bald cypress photo. I've been going back and forth on putting one in my yard in areas that still look bare to me due to tree loss. Your picture is making me lean to "yes" a little more, although I am making myself wait until I'm a little more used to my yard as it is. I've only planted three trees that I'd already planned to plant before the hurricane came through.
@JD,
The bald cypress has such a cook bark - it's really artistic looking in the winter here when the needles drop. I love how the needles are like little feathers. I hope if you go with a bald cypress that you enjoy it!
@mbmom11,
Cool bark - sorry, typing is not my forte.
Thanks for sharing! Multiple points resonated with me - we often eat a small rotation of meals too, use bunk beds, like living in a smaller house, and I sometimes struggle with regret when something I thought would be a great fit, turns out to be a dust-gatherer. I agree also with your comment about trying to start out with smaller portions, but I had to laugh, because I just brought that up this weekend: I suggested to my husband that we're getting middle-aged and maybe need fewer calories, so maybe we can try smaller portions. I think I activated the fight or flight part of his brain because he stared at me intently (fiercely?) and said that would just make his cells mad.
@Suz, hilarious about your husband's cells being mad. That's how my cells feel when I try to diet.
@Anne, been watching Poirot and his little gray cells lately >?
Thanks for an interesting introduction to your life, Mbmom11!
What subject do you teach, if you don't mind sharing?
The spiral on your cake is beautiful. I used to make a similar chocolate and vanilla cake that we called the "tiger cake". As a child, my mother never bought snacks or expensive foods into the house, but she baked every Saturday so we had a fresh treat on Sunday, and made crepes and waffles often. I picked up baking from a very early age myself, and even though there are long periods of time in between my baking sessions, it's a comfort to know I can whip up something.
@Kristina M.,
I teach math. It's nice to be able to help my kids with their homework - if they let me! I have taught a variety of subjects over the years, but right now I'm doing pre-calculus and quantitative literacy. I try to find examples of the math in the world around us so the students can see it is useful! They don't always believe me.
@mbmom11, I like the ideas of quantitative literacy. History of mathematics and science was part of my studies in college, everything made so much more sense when you understood how different concepts had emerged in the real world.
The time, money, energy thing needing to align? So much yes. Also, I used to do that once a week lunch out with my kids, too. But it was mostly during the summer and always at a place we had never tried before. That was after I got them so burnt out on the Wendy's value menu that they started refusing hamburgers. Ha!
Thank you for writing, Mbmom11! I admire the things you have done and developed to keep such a large family living and growing.
I also appreciate you mentioning a special needs child. There have to be more of us parents out there than we realize. Adjusting to those children's requirements and needs, worrying and planning for their futures, trying to set up social and professional support networks, and balancing the needs of the rest of the family and the marriage-- all take a lot of time, energy, and money.
I enjoyed reading the post. Was wondering if you could share the recipe for the swirl cake? It looks delicious!
@Alicia,
It's called Chocolate Intrigue Cake. The food network has a similar recipe with that name. I think it might have been one of those Bake Off winners in the 1950's. It uses chocolate syrup for the chocolate part. Sometimes it doesn't swirl very well - but it's still delicious!
Doesn't it, though? I wanted cake after seeing that picture. And I'm not even much of a cake person.
Mbmom11, you said several things that really rang my bell:
1. Such a funny response to the $1000 dropped in my lap question: "my first question would it count as income?" This shows how practical and frugal you are, capable of thinking long term, which is a sign of real maturity and intelligence.
2. More practical brilliance: "when you’re trying to do things yourself, you need time, energy, and money to align." Bravo!
3. This is probably a goal of most of us here: "I’m not sure if being frugal is easy for me, just habit."
4. So sensible: "Offer smaller servings – people can always come back for more, but then there is less waste."
And as always, I have a question: Is that a PING PONG NET ON YOUR DINING TABLE???
And just another musing. . . when there are grandchildren in addition to the children still in the nest, where will they all sleep???
I am so interested in knowing what your husband does for a living, but am guessing that you would have told us if you wanted us to know.
Thank you for sharing your life with us!
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
It's a portable ping pong net! It's great because it works on any table; it is easily removable. The dining room table tends to be our homework, puzzle, and ping pong station. We sit in the kitchen for most meals.
If I have grandchildren in the future, my kids can go to hotels and I'll keep the little ones with me! Babies have priority! Or we'll just set up a crib in the dining room or living room. There's always a little more space for a little one.
@mbmom11, we have a portable ping pong net on our dining room table for last years. 🙂 We recently put it on long folding table to use outside & moved into basement by portable pantry shelves to play during winter months. Found another new in box set at yard sale this summer for future use, one of teens favorite activities.
Just adding my two cents on the bunkbed discussion. I raised my two boys on bunkbeds and nobody ever fell out of anything.
And I totally agree on keeping lifestyle expectations small. I grew up in a whole different era and most kids shared a bedroom. I shared a bedroom with my sister until she left for college. There was one bathroom in our tiny (700 sq. ft.) house, and one television.
So my own kids shared a bedroom until a third one became available, there was one bathroom in our 1920s house and I was adamant that there would be only one TV.
Did I produce better adults because of all this sharing? Almost certainly not. But at least I wasn't throwing money at things that didn't align with my own values.
@Anne, In our marital home, we had 4.5 bathrooms. Both kids insisted on using the master bathroom for showering, though, so might as well have had fewer. (I put in a very nice walk in shower with glass walls, etc.)
But I too grew up in 700sf with one bathroom, six tall people, not even enough sofa cushions to fit everyone and I never felt deprived in the least.
My brother did have a portable B&W TV. Later on, I took it to our freshroom room and BFF and I made a nice little TV room out of our suite. Then I discovered my brother had carved I HATE ROSE into the side of the TV at some point.
@Rose,
Oh!! Too funny. You could have carved his name underneath Rose, and sent it back to him. ☺☺
@Rose, My mother in law raised her 4 boys, all 6 foot tall and over, in a 900 square row home in Philadelphia, one bathroom, one tv.I was an only child, grew up in what we thought was a large house, 1100 square foot rancher in the suburbs, with a hall bath and a tiny bath in the master bedroom for my folks.My grandmother lived with us. Wow how things have changed. Here in Phoenix newlyweds are looking at 2600-3600 square foot homes!!! I think the current market will have people trimming their “expectations..”
Nice to meet you @mbmom11. I come from a family half the size and we never ate out until my mom started working when I was 15. And that was only if she didn't have time to go food shopping. She still made us dinner even when she was working different shifts and would not be home. Instructions were there on what to serve.
There were 6 kids in our family. Mom would buy one box of sugar cereal and as soon as it came in the house it was divided into 6 Tupperware bowls with lids and everyone got 1 bowl. This way there was no fighting. And there were usually never snacks; well maybe saltines with some kind of processed cheese. And never Velveeta because that we would not eat! If there was snacks, it was a pan of brownies divided into 8 sections so everyone got one brownie; again no fighting over food.
She was a very bland cook, but there was food in our bellies, a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. And maybe once in a while a fancy meal.
@Maureen,
Oh, if I had the kitchen room I would totally steal the tupperware bowl idea and divide up the food into servings! However, my kids are mostly pretty good about sharing, thank goodness. We start them young! There is one teenager whom we have to hide the brownies from until everyone else has had a chance; growth spurts are real, and teenage metabolism is mighty!
Mbmom11, maybe you can sell that headset thing on eBay. You may not make back the whole amount, but it will soften the ouch factor a bit. . . (been there, done that, too many times to remember).
Hi!
We also live in a smaller home (but only have 2 kids, and one is in college and is only home on breaks), have cats, and I hate mending, so we have several things in common. 🙂 It sounds like you have a good sense of your priorities in life, including the financial ones, and have tweaked things to make it work for you. I noticed that your cat seems to be interested in the puzzle--we have new kittens and I'm wondering how to be able to pull off puzzle-making this winter with two mischief-makers around. I have a puzzle mat, which I don't love .... any other ideas?
@Kris,
I put a foam board on top of the puzzle at night, and weigh it down with books. The cats love sneaking off with a piece or two - or knock them off the table for me to find days later - so if I want a puzzle, I need to be vigilant! I also do the puzzle on a foam board, so I can lift it off and put it to the side if we're going to be civilized and eat at the table. It's kludgy but it works. (My manifesto!)
@mbmom11, good ideas, thanks!
"However, recently, I bought a specific headset for my special needs kid – it was to help with speech therapy. Highly rated, easy to use, and it sits gathering dust."
That's neither embarrassing nor a mistake. You gotta try the things, sometimes they don't work out and true in spades for special needs kids. Have you considered selling it?
DEFINITELY tell us about your flight of fancy, please. I can't be the only one who's curious.
@WilliamB,
I'd take my whole family to a long vacation far away - but 13+ people, plus passports, plus accommodations - you see that $1000 would not cut it. $1000 wouldn't even get us into a water park!
@mbmom11, That's true. I remember seeing a large Tennasseean family at Disney for several days, 5-6 kids that I could identify, and mom in a wheelchair (I remember wondering if she were having a hard pregnancy, given her shape) and being jaw-droppingly impressed with their planning. They packed their food, bought the bottomless cups for drinks, seem to have bought their swag off-site, all the tricks. They were definitely having a grand old time.
@WilliamB, Growing up,even as an only child,with 2 working parents,Disneyland trips were not on the agenda.We drove to the Jersey shore and swam in the ocean or took a road trip to visit the Amish country. Or, we drove over the bridge to Philadelphia for a day at the Franklin Institute. Today is seems to be a given that parents have to take their kids to these expensive theme parks…
@Madeline, I don't think it's a given, perhaps it's a more common aspiration. Myself, I'd rather go to Philly than Disney. I hate crowds!
I admit that I tend to over buy clothing (& shoes when younger) for kids. I buy mostly second hand & clearance/sale for most clothing except buying patriotic from veterans own company (which is not too far from other stores price wise) and always buy on sale/discount. Unless you don't do laundry once week you can get away with only 5 pairs (or sometimes 3 pair) pants/jeans. I do make sure have adleast 1 pair nice dress pants & shirt (short & long) for events/occasions.
Good for you for being so aware & vigilant about income requirements/restrictions for college. We/I had 2 in college & trade school at same time. College education is important to me & that's why told kids would pay for half (rules for this) even if got for free. 1 in trade school lied & said lived with (other) mom & got free tuition (only), but I still paid (would be) amount. 2nd kid went to 3 different colleges before getting degree & had to take out student loan(s) for my/our portion. 3rd kid (still in high school while doing dual enrollment in college classes) will hopefully have little/no student loans as possibility of free college & hopefully scholarships (even though smart, white male is last to get scholarships these days).
I love your response that Frugal is just a habit! 🙂 When I was married (became unmarried few years ago) my husband made good money but I was still very frugal, by habit because I did not make/have as much money. I still bought most things second hand/clearance/sale & not cheapest but best value for what need. I tried to instill habit of being frugal into children, as money is not free (as some people think otherwise). I/we have budget(s) for most everything. Do you find that you have had to increase/adjust lately due to higher costs, especially gifts/kids clothes/supplies? Or do you keep same amount(s) & just have less (physical items)? I have been looking over my past monthly/yearly exspenses spreadsheet(s) am amazed at the amounts.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. 🙂
@Regina,
I'm trying to buy less. The cost increases have made more more careful on the store and asking if I really need this. Of course, 3 kids seem to be growing out of pants and sneakers every 3 months, but I try to be cautious. I'm not buying as much used clothing as I used to as I have to take my kids' tastes into account! I was easier when they were little and had to wear why at I bought .
I enjoyed learning more about you mbmom11! And you comment about the $1,000 made me smile. We play a similar game regarding college funding and also the kid's medical insurance has an income threshhold.
Our daughter never fell out of the top bunk but she did throw up on it in the middle of the night once. Oh, the joys of parenthood. 🙂
Thinking small makes sense, even in a small family. Now that I'm retired, I make sure I'm thinking small when I'm cooking for the 3 of us. We don't need loads of leftovers for lunches anymore.
Hello MB! It was so interesting to read about your life. We have several things in common besides the "MB" part of our online names, although I don't have any kids (by choice). In my Meet a Reader post, I joked that I liked borrowing other people's children. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your life. Your outdoors photos are stunning.
@MB in MN,
Always nice to meet another MB!
Thank you for sharing your life with us. I had to laugh at your weekly McDonalds visit. My father was a single parent and on Friday he would take us all to McDonalds for fish sandwiches. He was Catholic and followed the no meat on Friday rule, but since he could not seem to get the hang of how to cook fish, McDonalds was his solution.
Agree with you about thinking small. When we were looking for a house, the relator kept showing us more expensive and larger homes. She would take us in, thinking we would fall in love with the extra space but all I could think was, "Man, this is a lot of space to clean" and "This fancy place is an invitation to be robbed." I think she was disappointed with us for buying the smallest house.
I agree with the person who said you sound so serene.
@Lindsey,
Re your house hunting- so sensible! Like, 4 bathrooms sounds good, but I'd have to clean them all!
i love that you splurge on mcdonald's. i thought my kids had the only parent who loves it as much as they do. i go there as a special treat for my kids. we have a popeye's one block from our apt. it just opened. i can't go as often as i would like. not the healthiest stuff but so good. we are four people in a one bedroom apartment. it works for us. we have 750 sq feet and that is pretty good for Manhattan. I enjoyed your post. thanks for sharing. are you looking forward to being a grandma someday? all the best to you.
Nice to meet you! I’m amazed that you have 11 children yet seem so calm! And we have a cat who looks very like your grey kitty. He’s also super soft and quite heavy, though not fat at all. I wonder if they are the same breed? Thanks for sharing a peek into your life!